This WA hopeful’s pre-season outing still has recruiters talking

Koby Evans after the Marsh AFL National Academy Boys match between Australia U18 and Coburg VFL at Whitten Oval on April 27, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

THE BEST game that powerful draft prospect Koby Evans has ever played came at the start of this year away from the spotlight when Western Australia’s Under-18s squad assembled for a pre-season camp in the state’s south-west.   

After training as a midfielder over the pre-season, Evans was unleashed in his new role in a scratch match as a group of recruiters watched on in Busselton, producing an electric performance that those scouts still talk about nine months on. 

DRAFT HUB Click here for the latest draft news

It should have been the ideal launching pad for a big draft year for the West Coast Next Generation Academy prospect, but things have not gone to plan since, with a serious back issue and syndesmosis injury restricting him to just a handful of games across all levels.  

That first-up performance has proved valuable, however, allowing Evans to show what he’s capable of on-field before confronting his off-field hurdles with the type of positivity that has impressed his coaches and potential AFL clubs. 

“That was the best game I’ve played by far,” Evans told AFL.com.au as he prepares for next month’s 2025 Telstra AFL Draft.

“The whole pre-season. I was just doing midfield work, and then finally I earned my spot in the midfield and started playing some good football.

Koby Evans in action during the WAFL match between Perth and Peel Thunder on August 9, 2025. Picture: WAFL

“It was definitely important to have that game, because everyone keeps going back to it. I’ve played some good footy besides that, but that was definitely my best game.”

If recruiters are continually drawn back to that pre-season game when talking about Evans’ potential, it’s because the opportunities for him to impress on field in 2025 were limited. 

A calf injury in round one sidelined him briefly before he travelled with the AFL Academy team to play VFL club Coburg. Evans returned from that trip with a sore back and went for scans, with the results showing he had a stress fracture.  

Koby Evans in action during the Marsh AFL National Boys Academy match between Australia U18 and Coburg VFL at Whitten Oval on April 27, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

Facing more than three months on the sidelined in his draft year, Evans was devastated. As the support came in, WA coach Marc Webb told him he could focus on his own recovery and skip an upcoming team camp, but Evans decided he wanted to take a different approach. 

“After about an hour, it was like I flicked the switch and then I was just like, ‘I’m a team player and recruiters will see what I can do now (through my recovery)’,” he said. 

“I saw the positive side of things, and I called Webby back and said, ‘I’m going to be at every training session, every camp, and if there’s anything I can do to help out I’d love to’.

“I just thought of all the stuff I could do and after my back injury I made every training session, every camp and every game. 

“Everyone gets injured, so I thought I can show recruiters that I can do a rehab program properly and I came back in 14 weeks and started playing football again.”

Evans became an influential member of the WA squad through his rehab, setting up drills, picking up equipment, encouraging his teammates, and wearing a headset through the Marsh AFL National U18 Boys Championships to relay messages on the interchange bench. 

The teenager hopes there’s a long playing career in front of him, but being on the sidelines also showed him how much he enjoys the coaching side of the game. 

“I was with all the line coaches, and then if I needed to yell out something or someone did something well, I would just give them a pump up,” Evans said. 

Koby Evans during the AFL Draft Combine at Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 3, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

“I’ve grown a lot and definitely learned a lot this year. I like being a coach and helping others, so that’s something I’m big on and something I learned a lot more about when I was on the sidelines.” 

Evans, who had the potential to be WA’s best prospect this year with a clean run, returned from his back injury in early August and played one colts game with Perth, hitting the ground running with 25 disposals to earn his league debut the following week. 

A syndesmosis injury quickly ended his campaign, however, in a cruel blow for the young speedster, with surgery required that prevented him from testing at the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft Combine. 

“I was annoyed, but I wasn’t as shocked or devastated as it was when I did my back,” Evans said. 

Koby Evans during a training session with West Coast. Picture: West Coast FC

“I just went back to, ‘I’ve done a rehab program before so I can do it again’, and I just got straight back to work and started the rehab.” 

A supportive message arrived from West Coast forward Jake Waterman after Evans’ ankle injury, with the young midfielder building several connections at the Eagles through the season as he used the club’s facilities during his rehab. 

The prospect of joining the club where his brother Josh Burke plays with the WAFL team is exciting, but no promises have been made yet, with the Eagles able to match bids on Evans as well as fellow Next Generation Academy forwards Tylah Williams and Wes Walley and father-son midfielder Charlie Banfield. 

Charlie Banfield during the Marsh AFL National U18 Boys Championships match between Western Australia and Victoria Metro at The Good Grocer Park, on July 6, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

The granting of four extra rookie list spots will help the Eagles land some of those players, and Evans would address a clear need on their list for power and speed in the midfield with his ability to win the ball inside and break away. 

Compared to AFL stars like Shai Bolton and Isaac Heeney, Evans said he was drawn to the players who had speed and power and an ability to do damage on the scoreboard. 

“‘Dusty’ (Dustin Martin) is my all-time favourite, and Cyril Rioli,” he said. 

“Now in the AFL I like to watch Christian Petracca, Finn Callaghan and Bobby Hill. So I watch a few players and see what they can do. They excite me, and then hopefully one day that’s me.”